


The Primal Love

by theleafpile



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Except Lucifer, F/M, kids bring up emotions, lucifer and chloe plus hot tub, no explicit content, no reveal, paternal testing, season 1 plus Ella, trixie is hyper intuitive, trixie sees the future!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 05:16:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11306433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theleafpile/pseuds/theleafpile
Summary: Chloe knew Lucifer never liked children. So when he gets swept up in a paternity case, she can't help but have a giggle at his expense. Children seem to bring out something in Lucifer, something she can't quite place - but it looks to her like a profound sense of loss.





	1. Chapter 1

“Because it’s not possible,” hissed Lucifer, steering the woman from his flat into the elevator. Her heels clicked unevenly across the tile, stumbling.

“Why not?” she protested, Lucifer shoving her into the elevator and thumbing the button. 

“Because it’s not,” he stated, wiggling his fingers in a small wave as the doors closed. “Good night.”

The woman, slim and raven haired, huffed out of the elevator and into Chloe, who having just pressed the button, stepped back in surprise. 

“I’ll warn you now,” the woman told her, smoothing down the front of her blood-red dress, “he’s in a bad mood.”

Chloe nodded as the woman disappeared into the hallway behind her. She took a quick glance over her shoulder to the empty bar, sighed, and entered the elevator.

Lucifer leaned over the piano, staring at the glass in his hand. The elevator doors opened, and he slammed the glass on the table, its sound reverberating throughout the room. “Bloody woman,” he hissed, turning, “I already told you, the child isn’t –” 

Chloe stepped out, letting the doors close behind her.

“Detective!” he stated jovially, turning to face her fully. 

“Uh-huh,” she remarked. A smile had plastered itself to his face, and it was only slowly turning into a genuine one. “Trouble?” she asked, a smile creeping along her face, gesturing toward his lower body.

His smile fell. “I have never had a problem there, detective, I can assure you of that.” 

Chloe set her jacket on the bar.

“Well? Here for a friendly chat?” he asked, shifting uncomfortably.

She shrugged, enjoying his unease. “She was cute,” she teased. “I’m sure the kid can’t be too terrible.” 

Lucifer rolled his eyes, grabbing his drink and moving to sit in an armchair. “Not funny.”

Chloe meandered her way across the room, leaning where had had just been against the piano. “It’s a little funny. She hitting you up for child support?”

“No,” he surmised, taking a sip. “This is one problem I can’t just throw money at, surprisingly.”

Chloe took the seat across from him, her smile fading at his serious gaze. “So the kid is yours?”

“Of course it isn’t,” he huffed, setting down the glass. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told her. It’s not possible.”

“Sure it is. Unless you’ve…” Chloe made a snipping motion with her fingers. If she had a camera, she’d have taken a photo of Lucifer’s face in that moment. The outrage rolled off him in waves.

“I’ve only ever clipped one thing, detective, and it certainly wasn’t that!” 

Chloe couldn’t come up with something else that would fit that category, but she let it go as one of the man’s many… Luciferisms.

“Whatever,” she waved a hand, changing the subject. “Just, you know, if you need anything…” she started, leaning forward, “I may still have some of Trixie’s old stuff tucked away somewhere. Rattles. Some teeny baby clothes.”

 

If looks could kill.

 

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, after all.

Chloe pushed herself upright, hesitating. “You know what? Never mind. It’s fine.”

He turned his attention back to her as she started walking back toward the elevator. “What is it, detective?”

“I –” she hesitated, resting a hand on the piano. “Was going to ask you for a favor.”

“A favor?” he asked, his face breaking into broad grin. “From me?”

She raised her hands. “No, it’s fine. Really. I’ll find somebody else.”

“Nonsense!” Lucifer got to his feet and quickly closed the gap between them. “Tell me exactly what you need,” he purred, resting an elbow on the piano, looking up at her. 

“Really, it’s nothing,” she mused, taking a small step closer. His eyes dropped to her lips. “I just need you,” she murmured, trailing her fingers down his chest, “to stay overnight, tonight, at my place.”

Lucifer leaned into her touch. Her fingers rested on his hip, dipping under his belt. “Really?” he asked.

“You’d have to be really quiet, though.” 

He positively vibrated at her whisper. “For you, I will sacrifice.”

“Great,” she stated firmly, pushing off. “I’ll see you tonight. Around 7?”

The space between them suddenly grew cold as she backed away, pressing the elevator button behind her. 

He closed his still-open mouth. “Why leave now? We could –”

“I am going to take a much needed nap,” she laughed, stepping into the elevator. “You know. Rest up for tonight.”

She felt his eyes look her up and down while the elevator doors closed. He had no comeback for that. 

“That was easy,” she muttered to herself. He had no idea what he was in for.

 

“This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Lucifer complained, stepping into the house. Dan turned to face the other man, hands on his hips.

“Yeah, we can all imagine exactly what you were planning.”

“You? Hardly. How’s divorced life treating you, Daniel? You look a little stiff.”

“Guys,” Chloe warned, coming down the stairs. Lucifer quickly gazed over her attire – boots, jeans, leather jacket – which didn’t exactly scream “sleep over.” 

“What am I doing here, exactly, detective?” Lucifer asked. Chloe grabbed her bag off the counter and patted Dan’s arm in a silent plea for him to wait out in the car. With a glare at Lucifer, he left.

“Okay, listen – carefully,” she curled a finger, beckoning him closer. He reluctantly took a few more steps into the house. “Trixie already ate dinner and brushed her teeth. All you need to do is make sure she changed into her pajamas and gets to bed in the next hour or so, alright?”

Lucifer’s shoulders sagged. “I –”

“As a favor to me,” she clarified. “Dan and I are going on a stakeout, I don’t know how long it’s going to take and I can’t have Trixie by herself all night. So just – try to relax. She’ll fall asleep and you’ll have the house to yourself.” She brushed past him to the door. “Do not go through my stuff, do not wake her up once she falls asleep, but if you want –” she rolled her eyes upward, “– I’m going to regret this, but you can use my bed.” He smiled. “To sleep,” she corrected. His face fell. “And only call me in an absolute emergency. Life or death. Something is on fire. Do not leave until I come back. Understand?”

“And what do I get in return?” he asked. “A Devilish I.O.U. to be invoked at any time?” He paused, considering. “Actually I quite like the sound of that.”

“Uh, no. Absolutely not.”

“Then I’m afraid you must find something else,” he said, opening the door for the both of them. “Nothing I do comes without a price.”

“Yeah, that’s perfectly normal,” she muttered. He cocked his head, waiting. “What is it you want?” He opened his mouth to reply. “Not that.”

“Fine. I’ll think of something.” She nodded and walked toward the street. Dan had the car parked but running, waiting. “But there will be something, I can assure you of that,” he called out after her. 

 

“Even you can’t think this is a good idea,” Dan said as Chloe situated herself in the passenger seat. 

“He’s an adult,” she said, glaring out the window at Lucifer’s figure. “Mostly. He’ll be fine.” She turned back to Dan, who did not look convinced. “They’ll be fine,” she corrected, slumping in her seat. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”

 

Lucifer shut the door behind him, rolling his neck in frustration. A drink. That would help. 

Trixie stood in the center of the room, hands on her hips. It reminded him a little too much of the Douche.

Maybe a bottle would be better. The detective probably didn’t have anything good stashed away. He made a mental note to correct that.

“Your face gets red when you’re mad,” Trixie stated, hands on her hips.

“Yes, I’m sure that happens to a lot of people,” he said absently. “Don’t you have a bed you must be off to?”

“I’m not sleepy.”

“Wonderful.” He strode into the kitchen. Trixie followed closely behind, taking a seat at the counter while he searched through the upper cupboards. He flicked a hand in her direction. “Shoo.”

She giggled. “You’re funny.”

“May as well be, as I’m the butt of a great cosmic joke,” he replied, discovering a half-full bottle of scotch, eyeing it suspiciously. The girl giggled again.

“You said butt.”

He popped off the top and sniffed the inside. “Hilarious.” He tipped the top of the glass toward her, offering. Trixie shook her head. Swiftly, Lucifer grabbed a glass from another cupboard and poured himself a drink.

“Mommy reads me a story before I go to bed,” Trixie explained.

Lucifer hummed, swallowing. “Sounds torturous.”

Trixie studied his features, then hopped off the stool and walked around into the kitchen. Lucifer looked down his nose at her, gripping the glass.

“You like Mommy,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“Seems that way, doesn’t it.”

Trixie beamed. “She likes you, too.”

Lucifer set the glass down, smiling. “Does she now?”

“Yep,” she said, popping the word off her lips. “She shot you so it means she likes you a lot.”

“Yes, I remember. Quite vividly.” He gestured over her head. “Go change, or whatever it is you must do.”

“You’ll read to me?” she asked, bouncing on her heels.

He sighed, taking another drink. “I get to choose the book.”

“Awesome!” she exclaimed, running out the kitchen. 

 

Chloe rechecked her phone for the third time that hour. The screen flickered on, lighting her face in a blue glow. Dan looked over, trying to keep an eye on the building they were scouting. He would tell her not to worry, that they were fine, but he didn’t believe it himself.

Chloe knew that. Hearing the words wouldn’t have reassured her. At least, she thought they wouldn’t.

 

Twelve pages into Coraline the child had fallen asleep. Lucifer set the book on her nightstand and stood awkwardly in the middle of her room. There was so much time to explore the detective’s home and belongings, and so little time – yet he felt compelled to watch the child sleep, if only for a few moments. Her chest rose and fell with easy breaths. Lucifer reached forward to click off the bedside lamp when Trixie stirred, not opening her eyes. She mumbled something. Lucifer leaned in closer. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and reached forward with a small hand, touching his face. 

He remained monument-still.

“You should show Mommy,” she muttered sleepily, patting his cheek. “It’s not scary.” Her hand fell back onto the bed. Lucifer stayed in place, watching the girl tumble back into sleep.

The words “I’m not afraid” threatened to form on his lips, but he couldn’t say them. 

It would’ve been a lie.

 

By the time the last few bar-goers were stumbling home, Dan and Chloe had apprehended the suspect, cutting him off in an alley without any shots fired. For that she was thankful. Discharging her weapon meant paperwork, and after they handed the suspect to a couple of uniforms, she was free to return home to get a couple hours rest.

She had expected to come home to Lucifer having torn apart her drawers, face-down and asleep in a sea of her bras and panties.

She did not expect to find the house quiet and peaceful, though it was just before dawn, because Lucifer was neither of those things.

She quietly shut the door behind her, removing her boots and tiptoeing through the living room. An empty glass and leftover scotch from Christmas sat on the kitchen counter, but nothing else was out of the ordinary. Her living room had not been destroyed. Trixie’s door was half-shut. She eased it open.

Lucifer was seated on the floor, leaning back against the corner of the bed and the nightstand, asleep. Trixie was also asleep, facing him on her side, a small hand draped over his shoulder.

Well, what kind of detective would she be, really, if she didn’t document the evidence? 

Chloe quickly snapped a few pictures on her phone, then squatted by Lucifer’s side, lightly shaking his forearm. 

He rolled his head forward, blinking. 

“Hey,” she said softly. He slipped out of her grasp, wiping his face with his hands.

“Bloody hell,” he muttered. 

“You fell asleep. In Trixie’s room,” she explained, just as he saw the hand resting over his shoulder. 

Chloe smiled. He caught her gaze.

Something in his heart jumpstarted. He wanted nothing more than to see that smile on her face again. There was joy there, but it had softened into something else, a different emotion – he didn’t recognize it.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He dropped his eyes. She eased her daughter’s hand back onto the bed and reached out her own, offering to help him stand. He took it, pushing himself upward. She hadn’t stepped back. 

She was awfully close.

She also hadn’t dropped his hand.

“Mommy?” came a small voice from behind him. She let go as he took a step past her and she forward, a smile greeting her daughter.

He allowed his fingers to trail across her stomach as she passed. 

An offer of breakfast began on her lips, but when she turned again, he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

“Ella, darling,” he waltzed into her lab with arms thrown wide. Ella looked up from her microscope, an incredulous look on her face. 

“Oh no,” she said, and his arms fell. “What happened?”

“Can I not simply say hello to my favorite, impartial, Dad-fearing forensic pathologist?” She shot him a look, and he dropped the smile. “I need a favor.”

“STD test?” she asked. “Paternal suit?”

“Well now that you mention it,” he said, turning on his heel and motioning toward the stairs, “There is a woman here who –”

“Dude!” Ella exclaimed, coming around the table. She lowered her voice. “What about Chloe?”

He was taken aback. “The detective –”

“Is gonna be pissed. I mean,” she tried to loosen her stance, shifting her weight. “Not that she’s like – into you. Just that it could, you know. Compromise your partnership.”

“I very much doubt it. Which is why I need you.”

“Me? This isn’t really my thing.”

“No,” he said, lifting a hand. “But Dad is! So you’ll be the only one to understand.” He lowered his voice, leaning toward her slightly. She leaned forward reflexively. He took in a deep breath. “My brother has reminded me, not gently, that my blood cannot enter the police database.” Ella forced herself not to lean away from him. “Not for any criminal reason, you understand. But in a more prevent-the-apocalypse way.” He sighed, straightening. “Honestly, I’ve explained to the poor woman that the child isn’t mine – can’t be mine,” he corrected. “I fear this is the only way to convince her.”

Ella nodded, considering. “So you want me to test you and the kid’s blood to show her it’s not a match, but you don’t want the news getting out.”

“If you’d like to think of it that way, yes.”

“I mean, I guess I could,” she said, turning back to her work station. “If I had you and the kid here, it’d only take a few minutes, but I don’t know how –”

“Excellent!” Lucifer said, clapping his hands together. “I’ll go fetch them and you can get prepared.”

“Wait,” she called out after him, “they’re already here?”

He continued to walk toward the stairs, gesturing for her to keep her voice down as a few police officers turned in their direction. Dan watched him bound up the steps, with his feet on his desk and the phone to his ear, and return a few moments later with an arm hovering around the waist an exceptionally beautiful young woman – who had a dark-haired child on her hip. Dan’s mouth dropped open as Lucifer directed them into the lab area, and shot him a look.

Dan stifled a laugh.

Lucifer huffed away, following them.

 

Chloe was able to squeeze in a quick two-hour nap, foregoing the shower until after she had gotten Trixie ready for school. She hadn’t changed, just collapsed onto the bed fully clothed. Trixie jumped on the bed, waking her.

“Monkey?” she asked sleepily, then more alertly, “What time is it?”

“Time for breakfast!” the child exclaimed, bouncing into her mother’s arms. “Did you get the bad guy?”

“Yeah, baby, we got him,” she said, burying her face in her child’s neck, making her laugh. “Did you brush your teeth?” 

Trixie hesitated, which told Chloe exactly what she needed to know. “Go brush your teeth and I’ll make you an egg sandwich, okay?”

“Okay, mommy!” she said, climbing off the bed. She began to run out the door, but stopped at the threshold. “Did Lucifer show you yet?”

“Shown me what, monkey?” she asked, taking a look at the clock. 

“Oh, nothing,” the girl said teasingly, then bounded back down the stairs.

Chloe tried to think of something else Lucifer could show her, and let her head drop back onto the pillow in defeat.

 

“Perhaps I didn’t think this part through,” Lucifer explained as Ella jabbed the inside of his elbow for the fifth time that morning. The woman and her son – Stephen, age 8 months – were seated, waiting patiently on the other side the lab. The baby cooed at his mother, who bounced him on her knee. He had cried for a few moments after Ella stuck him with the needle, but had settled into a kind of dithering blabber Lucifer couldn’t translate, for all his knowledge of the spoken languages of Earth.

“This is really weird,” Ella muttered, trying again. She tossed the needle in the sharps container and grabbed another. 

“Perhaps we should wai – ow!” he cried, as the needle pierced the skin with more force than Ella intended. 

“Sorry,” she muttered. Lucifer craned his neck to peer out into the lobby.

“The detective must be nearby,” he explained. Ella only nodded, removing the syringe, pressing her thumb over the spot of blood before motioning for Lucifer to take over. He walked into the lobby while the detective descended the stairs, freshly showered and looking heavenly in a black jacket and pants and a dark, striped long-sleeve. 

“Chloe,” Dan called over, but Lucifer quickly intercepted. She apologized to Dan with a look.

“How did the stakeout go last night? Case solved? No more murders?”

“Yeah. Dan and I got the guy. Why are you –”

“Excellent,” he hovered his hand over her lower back, bringing her to her desk and away from the Douche. “So there’s only paperwork left today?”

“Your favorite,” she joked, sitting.

“So you won’t be needing my help, then?”

“Actually – I could really use… your…” her voice trailed as the woman she had seen leaving Lucifer’s apartment stormed out of the lab. “Is that…?”

Lucifer smiled at the woman, who paused in the center of the lobby. “Bloody hell,” he mumbled as she walked over.

Chloe stared up at the two of them, and the little boy she held in her arms. She saw a heated conversation brewing, so she stood. “He’s adorable,” she cooed at the child. The mother looked her over, recognizing her. She smiled. “Thank you. Stephen,” she introduced. Lucifer rolled his eyes while Chloe reached out. The boy took her finger in his hand. “So strong. Must get that from his father.”

A quick glance at Lucifer told her he was not finding this as funny as she was. 

“Why don’t you two go talk in interrogation,” she motioned, and the other woman handed Chloe the baby. She seated him comfortably on her hip. “And we’ll wait for you here.”

“That’s awfully nice of you detective, but there really is nothing –” Lucifer began, but the woman gripped him by the elbow and dragged him away. Chloe bounced the child on her hip, watching him begrudgingly enter the other room. 

“Cute kid,” Dan told her, leaning over her desk and admiring the child. “Not as good as ours, of course.”

“No one’s as cute as Trixie,” she countered, smiling. The two of them, a child on her hip – it felt very familiar. He straightened, feeling the same way. 

The loss hit them at the same time.

Dan cleared his throat. “I think Lucifer had Ella run a paternity test.”

Chloe nodded, gazing at the child. He looked at her with large, dark eyes. 

“What do you think?” she asked. “Kind of looks like him.”

“Maybe,” he said, honestly.

“At this age, Trixie looked more like you than me,” she recalled. “But I don’t know. I don’t know if I see it.”

“Yeah, and then she grew into her ears," he said, laughing. "Ella’s probably got it all figured out. I’m sure she’d let you know.”

The baby gurgled, and they both smiled at him.

“Aren’t those things supposed to be, I don’t know. Private?” she asked.

He shrugged. “He’s your partner. I think you’d have a right to know.”

She nodded, and with a last long look at the baby, handed him over to Dan. Dan held the child in front of him, lifting him up and down a few times, bouncing. The baby gurgled happily before Dan set him against his side.

Chloe walked around them. Their eyes met, and Chloe lowered hers, heading towards the lab.

 

Lucifer stepped into the interrogation room while the woman shut the door behind them, leaning against it.

“Well? What did the pathologist tell you?”

“She said he’s not yours,” she said, quietly.

“Of course he isn’t. Darling –” he started, reaching a hand toward her. She pushed herself off the door. “Faith. I wish you would’ve just taken my word for it, instead of going through all this.”

“C’mon. You saw the kid. And all the time we spent together –”

“I remember,” he said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. She smiled at that. 

“I just figured he had to be yours.”

Lucifer brushed the hair off her shoulder. “All’s well that ends well, I suppose. But I don’t lie. Please remember that.” She nodded once, eyes on the floor. “What’s the matter? You know I would’ve been a sod of father, right?”

She laughed, and he rested his hand on her shoulder. “I think you could’ve been okay.”

“Very much so doubt it, love. Didn’t have a particularly good role model.”

She looked into his face, searching. He shifted uncomfortably, dropping his hand.

“Thanks for putting up with me,” she said lightly. 

“If you need anything –”

“Thanks. I think we’ll be okay. But I appreciate it.”

He took her into his embrace, knowing it was a goodbye for them both.

“Must have a handsome father, if you thought it was me,” he teased. She pulled away from him, kissed him lightly on the cheek. 

“No one quite so… electric.”

He smiled appreciatively, then followed her out the door.

 

“Ella?” Chloe asked, walking into the darkened lab. The lights from the lobby illuminated the space, but from the inside it was lit only by a single computer screen in the back, reflecting off Ella’s face. Chloe walked over to the other woman, who didn’t acknowledge her presence until she touched her shoulder, and she jumped.

“Hey,” she said, uneasily. “What’s up?”

Chloe wavered in place. “I know it’s not exactly my place –”

“Lucifer’s not the dad,” Ella said quickly. 

“Oh,” Chloe said, nodding. “Okay. That’s not – Thanks.”

Ella looked past her, eyes wide, and Chloe turned, catching Lucifer’s arm around the other woman. Dan handed the child back to her and waved goodbye. He and Lucifer stood side-by-side, watching her ascend the stairs. Both their heads tilted in the same direction as they got a better look up her dress.

“That’s probably for the best,” Chloe stated, turning her attention back to the pathologist. She was taking deep, calming breaths. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

“Okay.”

“You sure you’re okay? Did something else come up with Lucifer’s blood?” she asked, her heart sinking. “Is there something he’s connected to in the database?”

“Nothing,” the other woman said quickly, shutting off the monitor. 

“You’re sure?”

“Positive. Definitely nothing.”

 

Reluctantly, Lucifer returned to the lab just as Chloe was walking out. 

“Dodged a bullet,” she told him as he brushed past. “Or should I say, shooting blanks?”

“Very funny, detective,” he said, brushing down the front of his jacket. “If you’ll excuse me.” 

Lucifer pulled a chair across the room, seating himself across from Ella, who hadn’t budged from behind the darkened computer screen.

“I know this is a lot to take in,” he began. “But I know that if I could trust anyone with this, it was you.”

“Me?” she asked, her eyes still wide. “I’m not – I’m not anybody. You’re –”

“Yes, I am aware,” he lifted a hand, placating, then gestured toward the monitor. “What’d it say? Out of curiosity. Killed the cat you know.”

She swallowed at the word ‘killed.’

“Oh, don’t be like that. I’m not here to hurt anyone. I’ve retired.”

She nodded, blinking a few times. “Retired?”

“Yes. Now get on with it. Tell me what this contraption said about me.”

“It didn’t say anything,” she explained. “Nothing. I mean, I got the blood, ran the DNA, and you – you don’t have any.”

“No DNA?” he repeated.

“None. Okay, so like, sometimes I’ll have to try and pull DNA from something that’s been corrupted, or damaged, and in this line of work I can usually manage to pull something out of it, but it isn’t admissible in court because it’s not enough to show that it belongs to one person, or its been degraded enough to a point where it doesn’t match.”

“I’m only kind of following here, but go on.”

“Even people who like, work with dinosaur fossils can still see that they had DNA, because the markers are there. But I pulled the blood right here in the lab, with brand new, sterile equipment. There was nothing that could interfere with it. I ran it three times.”

“So you’re saying that I’m made of – what?”

She swallowed thickly. “I don’t know, man. Everything else is there. Except for, you know. The building blocks of life.”

He smacked his hands on his knees, standing. “Well I’m sure that’s all very interesting, and need I remind you – the word is mum?” She nodded. “Good. Can’t have proof of divinity floating around. Causes all sorts of wars.”

She was still nodding when he left.

 

“Daddy!” Trixie yelled, running down the steps of her school and into his awaiting arms. 

“Hey, baby,” he said, hugging her tightly. “Mommy’s finishing up some stuff so we’re gonna get dinner, okay?”

“Okay!”

He took her hand and they walked back to the police Charger. She laughed as she got into the car, wiggling in her seat. He smiled at that. There were only a few perks to being a detective, and the car was definitely one of them. Soon they were chatting about possible dinner ideas, when she went quiet, studying his face. He laughed uncomfortably, stopping at a red light. 

“Did Lucifer show you yet?” she asked. 

“Show me what, munchkin?”

She hummed, returning her focus to the road ahead. She didn’t ask again for the rest of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

The weekend passed without any sign of Lucifer, but that wasn’t really unusual – he did have a business to run, which he liked to remind her as he avoided paperwork and the other drudgery that came with police work – but the days kept ticking by, and Lucifer still hadn’t made his presence known. 

Chloe left Trixie with Dan over his next day off and found herself pressing the button to enter Lucifer’s elevator later in the evening than she would have liked. She had oscillated between calling or texting to check on him, but after the day wound down, she determined she wasn’t going to get any real answers out of him unless she was standing right in front of him, able to read what he wasn’t saying.

Right now she prayed he wasn’t in the middle of someone, because that was a sight she could not un-see.

The apartment was quiet. Her eyes wandered around the room – the bar, the piano, the library – and, hesitantly, over into the bedroom. Empty. She stepped further in and listened. Water was running, but not the shower, something softer. 

Cautiously, she stepped into the living area, and saw the jets in the hot tub were on. They were powered low, just enough to keep the water moving.

Lucifer emerged from the water, gasping, looking into the living room.

“Bloody hell, woman. I nearly drowned.” He pulled himself to the side, resting his chin on his hands, admiring his view of her. 

“How long were you under?” she asked, walking out onto the balcony.

“About an hour, I imagine.”

“Seriously?”

He shrugged lightly, never moving his chin. “I like the water.”

His face fell into something contemplative. “Why’s that?” she asked absently, her face tilted upward toward the sky.

Lucifer shifted, resting against his back. “There’s no water in Hell.”

On an impulse, she tugged off her boots and rolled her pant legs up. He watched as she took a seat next to him, dipping her feet into the water. 

“You okay?” she asked quietly. The city noise was lessened by the distance, the smooth sounds of traffic and car horns fading into the night with the gentle lapping of water, the hum of the jets.

“Fine,” he replied easily.

“You haven’t been around.”

He fell quiet at that. 

“Was it something to do with the kid?” she asked. 

“No, no,” he assured. “There was just business at Lux that had me tied up.” He looked up at her, a smile on his lips. “Not literally, of course.”

She smiled weakly at his antics, unable to tell if he was lying.

“I meant to call, then I stepped outside and saw –” he lifted a hand out of the water, gesturing toward the cloudless sky. “That.”

The stars twinkled faintly in the afterglow of the city. 

“The stars?” she asked. 

He shifted further downward. It was a small movement, but she caught it.

“Its nice.” She smiled down at him, and he lifted himself slightly. 

“Join me?” he asked, expecting her to say no. “Maze left a few bathing suits lying around in my closet.”

She thought about it, then stood. 

Guess they could both surprise each other.

 

What the hell, Decker, live a little.

A quick glance over her shoulder told her Lucifer had stayed right where she left him. She went into his closet, shutting the door behind her. It was expansive, jackets, pants, and shirt neatly hung, a shoe rack that eclipsed her own. She began to rummage through a set of drawers – he hadn’t specified where Maze left her swimwear – and found only his socks and underwear. It felt strangely intimate, and oddly comfortable, going through his things. 

Like he had no secrets from her.

She pulled out a bikini from the second drawer, holding it against her body. It shimmered in the low light, a dark, mercurial fabric. Not very her, but then again, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn one.

She swiftly undressed, folding her clothes in a neat pile on top of the dresser, and shyly padded out the small room. She made a quick stop in the bathroom, turning to admire her reflection, pulling her hair up.

She grabbed a half-full bottle off the bar and two glasses, walking back over to Lucifer’s side.

He turned at the tinkling of glasses, and his mouth fell open. She suppressed a smirk, handing him a glass before setting the bottle down. His eyes never left her body.

“Ding dong,” he muttered, and she smacked his arm, easing herself into the water. The jets moved the water around them but didn’t obstruct the view of their bodies under the water, only shimmered it a little. 

He pulled his eyes away from her long enough to pour them both a drink. Her foot brushed over his. 

Suddenly she was 19 again, shy and uncertain, perhaps acting a bit more bold than she actually felt. 

He must have noticed the change in her. He cleared his throat, but didn’t move his foot away.

She brushed over it again.

“So,” he said, breaking the silence. “What did I do to deserve this?”

She smiled, taking a drink. The bottom of her ponytail dipped into the water. “Looked relaxing,” she said. “And I happen to be an expert on hot-tubs.” He cracked a smile at her joke. “No water in hell, huh?” she asked, and his smile faded.

“Unfortunately. Dad probably thought it clashed with the whole fire-and-ash motif he had going.”

She let the silent settle between them, leaning her head back, watching the stars.

“If I’m being honest,” he said quietly, “something did come up. After the… ordeal.”

He didn’t need to clarify any more for her. 

Her eyes focused on his face. It was open and expressive, but his eyes were on the night sky.

“It reminded me of something I’d lost.”

Chloe only breathed, waiting. It wasn’t like him to open up like this to her. 

He raised his glass to the sky. “Creation,” he toasted, downing the drink.

“You said you can’t have kids?” she asked, hoping it wouldn’t break this strange reprieve in his usually iron-clad persona.

“No,” he said, studying the bottom of the glass before twisting to set it next to the bottle. 

She took in a deep breath, steadying her voice. “Did you ever –?”

He only looked at the stars. 

There was something behind his expression she was desperate to read. It was honest, and raw. She saw anger, in the hard line of his mouth, but it didn’t reach his eyes. They were soft – with longing, perhaps. But there was also a deep, profound sadness.

The thought struck her like lightening.

Maybe he did have a child, once.

Maybe that child was lost to him, now. 

Her heart ached for him.

“Not for some convoluted reason you’re thinking of,” he continued, oblivious to her inner thoughts. “Dad forbid it. Angels lost the ability to procreate a long time ago.”

That shook her from her reprieve. “Yeah,” she deadpanned. “That definitely makes sense.”

“We were tools, only, detective. Emissaries. A means to an end, especially in my case.”

She shook her head, not understanding.

“We were all created for a purpose. Love and destruction. Harmony and light. Temperance and loyalty and too many others to count.”

“That’s a beautiful idea,” she mused.

He huffed. “Is there any beauty in a set of instructions?”

She remained quiet at that. 

“But procreation is not what I speak of, detective. I have no interest in children. Your offspring is tolerable, at least.” She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. He was silent for a long time, thinking.

“There are no stars in Hell, either.”

She sighed gently, watching the surface of the water as it flowed over itself in waves. 

“Detective?” he asked. 

She shook her head. The thought of him losing a child had become the thought of her losing Trixie, and she couldn’t imagine the pain that would cause. 

He reached over, running his hand over her elbow, resting it on her forearm. She looked into his eyes. They were dark, questioning.

She pushed thoughts of Trixie away. “I wish I knew what was really going on with you,” she admitted.

He dropped his hand and his gaze.

“I know what you’re telling me is the truth,” she added. Slowly his eyes returned to hers. “I know that what you feel is real. But I don’t always understand what you’re trying to tell me.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “I think,” he started, his jaw clenching for a moment. “I think it’s best if you just continue to believe I’m crazy.”

She lowered her leg closest to him and scooted closer, grabbing his hand under the water. “I don’t,” she said, squeezing gently. “You’re my friend, Lucifer. And my partner.” She shifted a little closer to him. “And I thought. Maybe. You could be something more.”

He turned his hand in hers and trailed his fingers up her wrist, her arm. 

“I’ve done nothing to deserve you,” he whispered, his fingers still trailing up to her shoulder, her face.

“Love isn’t about deserving,” she told him. His eyes flickered up to meet hers. “In the same way that friendship isn’t about favors.”

He smiled a little at the memory, of her hand sliding down his chest. 

The hot tub was very warm, indeed.

He ran his thumb over her cheekbone, smoothing back a stray hair behind her ear. 

“I’m not certain I have the capacity to love, anymore,” he said, the words surprising even himself.

She covered his hand with her own, leaning in. 

“I think you’re full of surprises.”

 

They kissed, easily and softly, in the hot tub, and sometime in the night they made it to the shower. Lucifer tugged the elastic from her hair, and she laughed into his mouth. She shampooed his hair and ran her hands down his back, and he shivered, pushing her against the tiles, keeping her there until the water ran cold.

They toweled off, and Chloe laughed at the way his hair stuck up all over the place, and it was easy and simple and fun. 

They tumbled into bed, and she shook out her drying hair, and he tackled her when she sprayed water droplets on his chest, and her hair dried on his pillow.

He’d never felt so incandescent. 

When the last star gave way to the Sun’s rays, the light found them together, she tucked under his arm, her head on his chest.

 

Trixie tackled him in a hug as she called out his name, and he only flinched a little at her embrace. Chloe strode into the room, exhausted from the case that had them halfway across Los Angeles and back, and Lucifer was looking a little worn around the edges himself.

“You showed her!” Trixie yelled happily, loosening her grip to look into his face.

“Showed her what, child?” he asked, leaning over. Chloe walked into the kitchen, filling a glass of water in the sink.

“Monkey, let Lucifer be,” Chloe asked, and Trixie let go, running over to her mother, who squatted down for a proper hug. 

“Yes, if you could just do that –” he gestured toward the two of them, “every time, that’d be preferable.”

Trixie laughed and released her mother, who stood and finished the glass, tilting it toward her partner in an offer. He shook his head. A smile edged along his face. It was a small gesture, but it meant she was looking out for him, for his well-being. Maze had done the same, but it was out of loyalty, not – whatever this was.

(Love, he wouldn’t admit.)

“See?” said Trixie excitedly, bouncing back toward her room. “There it is again! He did show you! Did you show Daddy yet, too?”

“Trixie?” Chloe asked, stepping between them. “What are you talking about?”

“Can’t you see it, Mommy?” she asked, pointing toward the man behind her mother. “The light?”

Chloe turned, curious. Lucifer appeared as baffled as she.

They both peered back at the child. 

“What light, baby?”

She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyes darting between the two adults in the room. “You’ll see it,” she said, looking at her mother. “Someday.”

Trixie turned her attention to Lucifer, who tilted his head slightly, studying the child. He did not look alarmed, Chloe noticed. Only curious. 

“You’ll see it again,” Trixie promised. “You’re so –” she lifted her hands in the air, mocking an explosion. “Bright!”

The child bounded away happily.

“It’s not possible,” he murmured, to the empty space where the child had been. Chloe glanced where he was looking, but turned her focus back to him. 

“What’s not possible?” she asked timidly. It was normal for children to play pretend. 

He lowered his gaze, raising it back to her with a smile. “Nothing, detective. She must just be seeing an echo.”

She hummed and walked away, following her daughter into her room. Lucifer stepped out onto the porch, lighting a cigarette, gazing out into the night. He rolled his shoulders back and down. The scars ached with unyielding familiarity. He looked up; the stars were hidden from him tonight.

He took a long drag. The only light he was able to bring forward now was the burning on the end of a cigarette. 

The smoke trailed out into the darkness, fading.

He crossed his free arm across his body and lifted his other hand to his forehead, rubbing the space above his eyes. What good did light ever do, he asked himself. Darkness should not be defined by light. Darkness is not the absence of light, it simply is what is. It may not have a purpose, like light, which brings together, which burns, which lives. Darkness may be only freedom.

Infinite, abysmal, freedom.

Lucifer took another drag, squeezing his eyes shut, blowing the smoke out his nose. Something inside him clawed his way to the surface. He tossed the cigarette on the ground, grinding the burning under his shoe.

He asked for freedom. Begged for it. Ached for it. Fell for it.

It brought him only darkness.

The door opened behind him, throwing his shadow off the end of the porch.

“Hey,” Chloe said softly. 

He nodded in greeting. Chloe shut the door behind her, stepping around in front of him. 

“Kids say stuff. You shouldn’t be weirded out by it.”

He swallowed. “It’s not that.” He looked out into the night. “I just hope she’s right.”

Chloe lifted a hand and cupped the side of his face. “Hmm,” she hummed, leaning forward. “Maybe, there’s a little –” she smiled, “yep. Right there.” She stated, running her thumb over his bottom lip. He opened his mouth, pulling her in closer. “I see it.”

“What?” he breathed, leaning towards her.

She smiled, reaching on her tip-toes, closing the gap between them. He closed his eyes, sharing her breath. Her lips brushed his. 

“A spark.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kind comments and kudos! I love you guys. I apologize if Chloe felt a little OOC (maybe I'm being a bit critical). I wonder if anyone caught the reference to Faith - Lucifer mentioned he had spent some time with a woman of the same name in, oh, the first episode I think? And I based his reactions with her off the interactions he had with Delilah. Our Devil is a big softie.  
> The title refers to what's written on the Gates of Hell in Dante's Inferno, saying that God created Hell out of love.  
> No wonder Lucifer has a difficult time recognizing it.  
> Once again, thanks for reading. Love,  
> theleafpile


End file.
